Alberta
Food
Matters
Growing Food Security in Alberta
Alberta Food Matters
Since 2001, the Growing Food Security in Alberta (GFSA) network has supported many projects and initiatives across Alberta focusing on food security and food sovereignty using an asset based community development approach. Hundreds of groups and individuals are now part of the Network, all seeking to connect and work together to achieve food sovereignty and food security in Alberta and understand the real value of real food.
Alberta Food Matters (AFM), through urging from the GFSA network members, is now registered as an independent non-profit. AFM operates the GFSA network and continues to support the valuable work throughout the province.
Our Mission
AFM provides leadership that enables relationships and actions to reconnect people, land and food in support of food sovereignty in Alberta.
Our Values
- We value food sovereignty where people are able to influence where their food comes from.
- We value equitable, local, regenerative food systems.
- We believe sustainable food systems are built on relationships.
- We value asset-based approaches that recognize everyone, and every group has something to contribute.
- We are committed to reconciliation and respect traditional knowledge.
- We value credible, evidence–based research, information and practices.
Core Functions
Growing food security and food sovereignty through:
- Advocacy to influence and inform Policy (local, provincial, national).
- Operating the Growing Food Security Alberta Network.
- Skill building, educational projects, programs and workshops.
Food Sovereignty
People have a say in how their food is produced and where it comes from. Food sovereignty seeks to rebuild the relationship between people and the land, and between those who grow and harvest food and those who eat it.
Food Security and Food Sovereignty are preconditions for a sustainable community, but in order to thrive and prosper the relationships that maintains them needs to be quantified in economic terms.
This is where the SELRS project comes in. SELRS is an acronym that stands for Sustainable, Equitable, Local and Regenerative, representing a lens for assessing the state of a system for community-based food. View the SELRS lens here.
Strategic Priorities (2021-2024)
- Strengthen and steward a Board and organizational structure to support the work of Alberta Food Matters.
- Ensure people recognize and know AFM and trust our brand reflects our values.
- Establish a sustainable financial strategy.
- Strategically focus our efforts to engage both grassroots and systems for initiatives and advocacy around food security in Alberta.
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